Analyzing Objects
Porcelain
Musket Ball
Smallpox
Nail
Reaper
Shirtwaist
Transistor
Coffee
Record
Tire
Dishwasher
Dress
Stereograph
Stone
Shoe
Question 1:
Historical thinking means considering the interconnectedness of people, events, and places over time, and noticing cause-effect relationships, trends, and patterns, and asking "why" and "how".
Question 2:
Introducing objects, or photographs of objects, to students can help them visualize a life perhaps quite different from their own, and help them situate themselves in a larger community, "zooming out" their perspective.
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Module Id: 689
User Id: 1411
Submitted: Sunday, March 1, 2020 - 18:09
Question 1:
I notice that three objects have been placed on a surface, and that bright light is causing them to cast a shadow behind them. The bright light reveals a seemingly smooth surface. The three objects are at least partly made of metal and presumably have a different function from each other, judging by their vastly different shapes and sizes- I assume that was purposeful, and that each object was designed for a different task.
Question 2:
I am not sure what these objects are. They seem similar to objects created for exploration of another celestial body (I would predict our Moon). However, the surface is too smooth to be our moon, and I don't recall seeing photographs of data-collecting objects from the first Moon landing, so I'm not sure if these are the same ones. In fact, the photo seems staged, perhaps for an ad or movie before films were in color. Whether the objects were used as imaginative props or were built at NASA for true exploration purposes, the objects reflect a spirit of exploration, curiosity about outer space, work ethic to make the seemingly impossible possible, following your dreams, and colonization/birthright that have been part of the image that Americans have upheld in/for this nation.
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Module Id: 1146
User Id: 1411
Submitted: Thursday, March 5, 2020 - 09:46
Question 1:
The shoes appear to be hand-stitched, with the stitches going through the sole. The leather is well-worn and the sides of the soles show wear.
Question 2:
I infer from the cut and shape of the shoe that they were made to fit a woman, and from the wear that she walked in a variety of weather conditions. Themes in American history that these shoes might connect to would be valuing utility more than fashion, perseverance in work, and meeting one's family's needs, deeming sacrifice as integral to everyday life.
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Module Id: 1002
User Id: 1411
Submitted: Thursday, March 12, 2020 - 17:41
Question 1:
This appears to be a teacup and saucer part of a larger entertaining set. Its pattern and coloring, on the inside rim of the cup as well as the outside, suggest that it was pricey, probably kept to pass down through generations and as a show of predecessors' status.
Question 2:
A tea set is considered wasteful to many today, but would have been common in households with any money to spare in the 18th and 19th Century. Families would likely have bought the most expensive one they could afford at the time, to show others how well off they were, especially if they had an important guest to impress. Perhaps the themes here would be around entertaining and trying to seem high-class.
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Module Id: 951
User Id: 1411
Submitted: Monday, March 23, 2020 - 12:57
Question 1:
I notice that the quality of the image is imprecise, and that the bacteria or virus looks simple.
Question 2:
Perhaps it is a post-microscope sketch of a deadly cell that spread throughout America, causing panic and nudging along medical and technical advances to combat the illness it caused. Maybe it spread at a time when hygiene wasn't seen as so pressing, or before people realized the need to dispose of waste properly and not come in contact with it.
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Module Id: 954
User Id: 1411
Submitted: Thursday, March 26, 2020 - 14:48
Question 1:
This dress appears to be made of cotton. It is loose on the woman and has simple sleeves and a plain skirt. There is some modest detail in the bodice.
Question 2:
Perhaps the dress belonged to a woman living in the South; not a farmer's wife or especially wealthy, but middle-to-upper-middle-class. The goal throughout so much of history was to appear more wealthy than one was, so perhaps this is a photograph of a woman on Sunday, and she was enjoying a day of rest from household tasks. The dress may have been too nice to wear any day of the week without being seen by others. A potential theme this dress could connect to in American history could be appearing put-together in appearance and demeanor to suggest economic stability.
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Module Id: 1075
User Id: 1411
Submitted: Sunday, April 5, 2020 - 20:20
Question 1: I notice that this dishwasher is much smaller than dishwashers today!
Question 2:
Early dishwashers were likely smaller because meals were cooked from home much more often than today, and many of the large pots and pans and baking dishes that families used for big meals would still be washed by hand anyway. At the time of the invention of the dishwasher, women were more often homemakers than employees and professionals, and were doing housework constantly. The dishwasher was likely not invented to liberate them, but to take just a bit of the burden off women. However, rapid improvements were likely made on models of dishwashers and other appliances, which led to less time spent on housework, and perhaps a desire to spend even less time doing housework, and more time outside of the home, pursuing careers! The early dishwasher, as mentioned, was likely not intended to give women more independence and freedom, but may have played a part in that transition over the past near-century.
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Module Id: 1093
User Id: 1411
Submitted: Monday, April 13, 2020 - 15:13
Question 1:
I notice that this object predates pull-tabs, necessitating the use of a can opener. Its colors are varieties of OD green, suggesting use by military personnel, but again, they would need to have a can opener on them (as well as boiling water) to use it, so I suppose it was not used when staying out in the elements during wartime. It was also produced and used before maltose and dextrose and other words for sugar were taboo.
Question 2:
This object may have been popular at the time when portability starting being a pro for products, but before having things, including food and beverages, "on the go" was part of the fabric of our culture.
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Module Id: 1147
User Id: 1411
Submitted: Wednesday, April 15, 2020 - 09:53
Question 1: It is a gravestone I believe.
Question 2:
How we honor the past and who shaped our present and future can be signified in burial rites.
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Module Id: 1039
User Id: 1411
Submitted: Tuesday, April 28, 2020 - 20:48
Question 1:
Historical thinking has more to do with asking questions and determining relationships between time and space than it does just knowing facts and dates. It involves investigating multiple primary and secondary sources because no one source can fully represent the facts and historical significance of an event. It involves thinking deeply about people's motivations and their historical, economic, and political contexts to get a fuller picture of which choices people had available to them, and why they chose certain courses of action.
Question 2:
When students make observations about objects, they begin to exercise historical thinking, asking questions and making inferences that get students invested in, and more knowledgeable about, people's lives in the past.
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Module Id: 689
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Submitted: Sunday, March 1, 2020 - 19:05
Question 1:
The transistor connects to themes of boundary-pushing innovation and increasing values on speed and recreation in 20th Century America. By providing a more efficient, less fragile and maintenance-heavy technology than vacuum tubes, transistors allowed for the proliferation of handheld radios present in many neighborhoods across the country, making information more equitably accessible and presumably benefitting the music industry, including artists from a variety of genres as their listener base grew. Additionally, given the unfamiliarity of Americans with the Japanese brand Sony, I wonder if discovery of the usefulness of semiconductors had a role to play in the beginning of the globalization of technology. That discovery, and the new branch of physics inspired by it, allowed for greater convenience and recreation opportunities for consumers when it comes to the specific example of the hand-held radio, and in terms of sheer utility and quicker production speeds, must have benefitted the economy in addition to encouraging trade. As technology advanced, however, the limitations of the ubiquitous transistor became apparent. Its potential had been reached when it could not be made any smaller, due to the need for hand-connected wires. Using semiconductors in transistor development was an important stepping stone toward innovating the miniature integrated circuit that made the development of the desktop computer possible, further increasing the accessibility of information and ideas for Americans and furnishing small fortunes for engineers and businessmen involved in the ever-quickening field of technology.
Question 2:
I would want students to ask themselves:
-Who benefitted from these developments in technology?
-What were the social, political, and economic implications of each development?
-What do you think the responses of the American consumer were to these patents given what else we know about the time of their creation?
-Who benefitted from these developments in technology?
-What were the social, political, and economic implications of each development?
-What do you think the responses of the American consumer were to these patents given what else we know about the time of their creation?
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Module Id: 1146
User Id: 1411
Submitted: Thursday, March 5, 2020 - 12:37
Question 1:
This pair of soldiers' shoes from the Civil War would have likely been hastily made in a shop that was trying to fill what would have been its heftiest order yet- that from the US government in an urgent whirlwind of sudden need for a variety of practical items to outfit soldiers for what was expected to be a brief war. The still-new government was unprepared for the demands the war would place on it and its citizens, and grappled with quandaries such as how to pay for all the necessary supplies on top of wages. It was ill-equipped to carry out its heaping responsibilities and in response to some of the needs, hired contractors to purchase goods from local shops. Contractors were not always mindful of the potential for cutting corners or willfully low-quality work. Their naivete ties to that of 19th Century Americans, with shiny great-grandparent tales of war that fueled early eagerness to fight and gain glory and have stories of their own to tell, which in turn necessitated the vast quantities of goods for the sea of volunteer soldiers.
Question 2:
Primary documents on the assassination of President Lincoln would illustrate one particular changing relationship between a citizen and government as a result of the Civil War; earlier sources such as his possessions and journal entries before and during the war would provide a richer sense of how his opinions changed, but for a more complete picture of the enthusiasm-turned begrudgement over the course of four years, then bitterness that led to Jim Crow Laws, personal accounts, newspaper articles, political cartoons and ads would be important.
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Module Id: 1002
User Id: 1411
Submitted: Friday, March 13, 2020 - 09:24
Question 1:
This porcelain set could have belonged to British sympathizers at the time of the Revolution, or simply to people who strongly identified with their British origins, like anyone else in the colonies before Britain's economic restrictions became unbearable. Either way, themes of showing status, appreciation for Britain's provision, and wanting a taste of home in a faraway land could all be at play. When it became unfashionable to support and flaunt anything British-seeming, this tea set and other products from or reminiscent of the Motherland were eschewed as opulent and out-of-touch, and abstaining from engagement with British products became nearly a matter of piety. Whether "in" or "out", the porcelain tea set, or hiding it, was about fitting in.
Question 2:
I would want to know about any other expectations the British government had for the colonists, including education of children (what they were to be taught about Britain, France, and Native Americans, for example), gender roles, or any other area that British influence bled into, since tariffs and taxes went from being trade-related to product-related, even down to newspapers and print materials. In essence, what cultural expectations did Britain have for colonists, in addition to monetary ones? How did colonists respond to those expectations, and how/when did their responses change?
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Module Id: 951
User Id: 1411
Submitted: Monday, March 23, 2020 - 13:09
Question 1:
So much of American life was still being figured out when smallpox flourished, in each of its waves. The theme of struggling to cope with the unknown had pervaded political, economic, and military matters throughout the 18th Century, and now it would continue again on a much more personal level. The at first mysterious nature of the illness, and how it could be transmitted, was fear-inducing and once caught, the prolonged unfolding of the disease was painful and inescapable. The fear and uncertainty of the disease was likely similar to the experience of the political and economic turmoil that marked the 18th Century, though it affected the lives of every individual in perhaps a much more personal way.
Question 2:
Depending on the severity and ubiquitousness of the disease, studying primary and secondary sources on the disease and its effects on individuals and people groups could provide a wholistic view of life at the time of the outbreak and the disease's proliferation. The economic situation and political attitudes and decisions that preceded the outbreak, and the changes there would be interconnected with the experiences and actions of people toward illnesses, people with illnesses, medical advances, and overall priorities. Disasters in one or several places have a way of bringing people together; there would be a lot to learn from changing attitudes and any alliances forged or broken during a time of tragedy. After an epidemic, memory can fade quickly and decisions made during panic could be seen as just that, or fear could endure and decisions made out of that fear could be beneficial and preventative, or stigmatizing and dangerous (i.e. fear that led to witch hunts). If the disease had severe enough effects to change legislation, political ideas, economic decisions, the way ordinary people lived their lives, or any other area with lasting effects, then studying history through the lens of diseases over time would be informative, but certainly not comprehensive, and less consequential diseases would yield less fodder for understanding.
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Module Id: 954
User Id: 1411
Submitted: Monday, March 30, 2020 - 11:28
Question 1:
The white dresses that women wore during the women's suffrage movement upheld some ideals in American culture in order to show how women deserved and needed the right to vote, such as purity and freedom from bondage. When the 19th Amendment finally passed, America had just come out of the first World War; the suffragettes had hoped to secure voting rights before the 1900s even began, but it was a slow and laborious process, one that met with much opposition, even from women.
Question 2:
I would like to understand the position of opponents to women's suffrage better, by examining primary and secondary sources from/about those opponents, and I'd like to learn more about how minorities were treated and what they were able to contribute to the movement despite extra constraints on their freedom.
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Module Id: 1075
User Id: 1411
Submitted: Tuesday, April 7, 2020 - 14:19
Question 1:
The dishwasher became one of several technological advances made in the comparatively unscathed US after WWII, and was at the center of a competition between the US and the Soviet Union to prove the merits of capitalism over communism.
Question 2:
I saw a broader picture of the time leading up to the Cold War and gained a clearer understanding of the communication between the US and the Soviet Union during the Cold War.
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Module Id: 1093
User Id: 1411
Submitted: Wednesday, April 15, 2020 - 09:25
Question 1:
Though instant coffee seems not to have been the preferred choice for most Americans, it has an interesting history. Instant coffee was a must for soldiers during World War II, and was produced in great quantities so that soldiers could have coffee every day. Soldiers drank it begrudgingly since there was no other option. Instant coffee seems to be at the center of a whole market of foods we use today, many of which were developed with nutrition and shipping needs of soldiers overseas, an idea that spread to pre-prepared foods marketed toward women after the war. Because of traditional gender roles and values, companies did not have great success transitioning from advertisement-free, government-requested dehydrated food for soldiers to persuading skilled homemakers to buy their "foolproof", "quick and easy" products, when they went against every virtue women were told they need to possess. As women's roles in society changed to increasingly outside the home though, causing others in a family to become more self-sufficient, or at least causing a need for quicker home tasks, ready-made or instant products finally gained a lasting footing.
Question 2:
Analyzing advertising to understand women's evolving roles in the household is like studying a reflection of an object instead of studying the object itself. Studying ads gives a great picture of how people (mostly men in these industries) thought about women's roles, and how they anticipated their desires/needs and how they processed their response to their ads and products. In order to get a fuller picture, we would need accounts, interviews, surveys, and the like sharing women's views directly.
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Module Id: 1147
User Id: 1411
Submitted: Wednesday, April 15, 2020 - 12:14
Question 1:
Americans struggled to decide where territories, both political and economic, belong, and those boundaries changed over time with pressures from different sides and compromise.
Question 2:
Students can interview older relatives who grew up in places that have changed a lot over time and learn about why those changes occurred (both physical boundaries as well as economic, religious, and political)
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Module Id: 1039
User Id: 1411
Submitted: Tuesday, April 28, 2020 - 21:14
Title: Engaging Students
Grade Level: Elementary
Short Answer:
When I teach history again, I will make objects a regular part of our lessons, remembering that historical thinking is meant to be deep, therefore devoting a significant amount of time to prodding for student observations and inferences, rather than feeding students a lot of information to commit to memory (the thorough list of questions by the NPS for prompting observations of an object will be a helpful guide for myself and students). Student engagement depends on investment in the subject matter, and using objects to foster curiosity and connection-making gives students more ownership over what they're learning, and allows them to work together and learn from each other.
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Module Id: 689
User Id: 1411
Submitted: Sunday, March 1, 2020 - 19:15
Title: A new meaning for "Technology in the Classroom"
Grade Level: Elementary
Short Answer:
Students today tend to be proficient with operating personal technology, but I'd like them to imagine an entirely different life: one in which a phone call can only be made up to a few states away, and later, when a computer is the size of a large room. I would build students' understanding of life in 20th Century America over the decades and, through activities and discussions, have students map out at least the major political and economic events over the decades from the start to the finish of the century before ours. This would prepare students to learn about the development of technology that led to- and from- the ubiquitous transistor. This unit would also follow the electricity unit in Science, for further ability to make sound connections with the new material. When it comes to introducing the patents and information that I learned in this module, I would have students make hypotheses about each of the objects presented here, giving them time to discuss with others their possible time period, use, and which invention led to which. Students could choose a couple to research and learn from each other's presentations about each item, and I would provide background or address misconceptions in-the-moment. Students could make a web connecting images of these items, note trends, and present on the political, economic, and social ramifications of these developments at their time, as well as on our society today.
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Module Id: 1146
User Id: 1411
Submitted: Thursday, March 5, 2020 - 12:48
Title: A mile in his shoes
Grade Level: Elementary
Short Answer:
As a precursor to the lesson, I would have students think/talk/write about objects their families have talked about passing down from generation to generation, and objects their parents have donated/sold/thrown out when helping an older relative downsize, or when going through a deceased relative's home. Why were some objects kept and cherished? Why weren't others? Then would follow a discussion of war relics- what have their family members kept from service members' and veterans' military days? Why? At this point, I'd introduce the image of a Civil War soldier's shoes and ask if they thought many soldiers kept their shoes after the war, and why? Then I'd have students study the image for observations and voice anything they wondered. Following the course of class discussion, I'd introduce the information I learned in the module about soldiers' shoes, zoom out to the massive needs of the government and how it grew and its powers expanded, gradually incorporating the images of the other objects to provide a wider context for the changing attitudes of Americans and the further growth of the government over the next four years. Students would then discuss ideas for what other objects might inform our understanding of 19th Century America, form research groups, and explore books and websites (some of them pre-prepared by me in anticipation of the objects they might request access to), and gather information to share with the class.
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Module Id: 1002
User Id: 1411
Submitted: Friday, March 13, 2020 - 09:36
Title: Reenactments and Debates
Grade Level: Elementary
Short Answer:
Two ideas:
-The information in the module would be used to inform skits featuring use of the porcelain tea set, a discussion between colonists of the latest front-pager saying the newspaper is taking a break to determine next steps in response to the stamp act, Parliament's counterargument of virtual representation and colonist's reaction, conversations about the boycott in public v. at home, etc.
- Further research would be necessary for students' skits above, as well as debates that the class could hold, with half of the students representing the British point of view and half representing the colonists'. Specific points could include how the British supported the colonists in the 7 Years' War (for Britain's own gain, of course), how colonists fought with the British Army, issues of colonists' evolving identity, and naturally, taxation without representation.
-The information in the module would be used to inform skits featuring use of the porcelain tea set, a discussion between colonists of the latest front-pager saying the newspaper is taking a break to determine next steps in response to the stamp act, Parliament's counterargument of virtual representation and colonist's reaction, conversations about the boycott in public v. at home, etc.
- Further research would be necessary for students' skits above, as well as debates that the class could hold, with half of the students representing the British point of view and half representing the colonists'. Specific points could include how the British supported the colonists in the 7 Years' War (for Britain's own gain, of course), how colonists fought with the British Army, issues of colonists' evolving identity, and naturally, taxation without representation.
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Module Id: 951
User Id: 1411
Submitted: Monday, March 23, 2020 - 13:21
Title: Scenario game
Grade Level: Elementary
Short Answer:
By fifth grade, students are able to grapple with more challenging ideas, and they can look at a problem from multiple perspectives. The content in this module would be well-suited to discussions, writings, research, and role play in a 5th grade classroom. I would adapt the questions in this module for my students, so as to spur thinking and encourage predictions. I would prepare a few scenario cards, and students would choose one to explore. For example, one scenario card could be "One day, someone who had recently gone on a trip woke up with x, y, and z symptoms. You haven't seen or heard of anything like it before. What do you do? What don't you do? Who do you talk to? What questions do you have? What can you do to find answers you need? What will change because of this incident?" As discussion continues and several upon several ideas are shared, I will announce that there has been a development! Person A has experienced ______ since symptoms started, and now another person in town is affected!" Repeat the questions, the discussion continues, students act out the ideas they agree upon, like asking the mayor a question or ensuring that there's enough clean water for everyone. I could point out that at the time in history our scenario takes place, people don't know about x or don't have access to y. This scenario game will engage students and foster curiosity and interest, preparing for further research- perhaps some of the information from the module would be given before the game, and some after, or all before, or all after, but there would definitely be time for further research after the game, and students would be challenged to think, write, and talk about national and global implications, regarding politics, economics, and culture.
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Module Id: 954
User Id: 1411
Submitted: Monday, March 30, 2020 - 11:47
Title: Spider Web Approach- How Past, Present, and Future are Connected in the Women's Suffrage Movement
Grade Level: Elementary
Short Answer:
I think in order to understand the women's suffrage movement best, students need to be in the process of developing understandings of the past, including the democratic ideals the suffragists wanted to remind the public of, the relationship between Americans and British people at the turn of the century, and what social movements are. Students need to research different social movements throughout history and learn of their goals, tactics, hurdles, compromises, and end results so that information about the women's suffrage movement, from this module as well as other resources, can be contextualized. Students would need to engage in some debates and role-plays in addition to presenting their research to each other, in order to gain a clearer perspective and empathy with groups who have fought for their rights throughout history.
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Module Id: 1075
User Id: 1411
Submitted: Tuesday, April 7, 2020 - 14:26
Title: Alternate History
Grade Level: Elementary
Short Answer:
My students will have a balanced approach to teaching about the mid-twentieth century, with the information and primary sources from this module as well as opportunities for further research. I'd like them to engage in research about capitalism to better understand how our economy works and how it came to be this way. I want students to be educated also in other economic systems and compare their benefits and consequences. If they were involved in the kitchen debates, what would they say to argue the merits of their economic system? What criticisms of the opposing system would they bring forth? Did the two countries share ideas equally? Did the Soviet Union meet and surpass the level of growth and wellbeing of America in seven years? Students will generate their own questions for research and pondering as well as respond to questions such as these that encourage critical thinking. They'll also consider what would have happened had the Cold War ended differently, soon thereafter as well as what the repercussions would be today.
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Module Id: 1093
User Id: 1411
Submitted: Wednesday, April 15, 2020 - 09:34
Title: Taste and See
Grade Level: Elementary
Short Answer:
History is as real-life as it gets. In math and science instruction, teachers are expected to make lessons hands-on, why not history? In addition to viewing, reading about, and discussing ads and videos from the 20th Century on the development of a whole new line of food, students could also experience the process of comparing homemade foods to dehydrated/frozen/pre-prepared foods. Because of health concerns, students would likely need to do this activity at home, discussing with families what a safe and affordable food test would be (mashed potatoes the old fashioned way v. boxed, or homemade cake v. boxed, for instance). Students would sample each with their families and record what everyone said about the differences in flavor and consistency if detectable. This activity could be assigned before the lessons even begin, so that students have a personal experience to draw on throughout the mini unit.
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Module Id: 1147
User Id: 1411
Submitted: Wednesday, April 15, 2020 - 12:22
Title: Putting yourself in one's shoes
Grade Level: Elementary
Short Answer:
In order to grasp differing sides of issues, such as the disagreement over how to pay for the North's debt after the Revolution, students will need to imagine similar situations in present-day, even if at a much smaller scale, just so that students have some concept of what may seem distant, unfamiliar arguments, beliefs, and desires.
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Module Id: 1039
User Id: 1411
Submitted: Tuesday, April 28, 2020 - 21:16